Sightglass Coffee: S.F. roasters small but strong

When Jerad and Justin Morrison decided to enter the micro-roasting market in coffee cult center San Francisco, skeptics asked, “Why?”

Did their coffee bar and roastery, called Sightglass (after the window in the roaster for checking on the beans), stand a chance in a city that already had Ritual, Four Barrel and Blue Bottle, not to mention old-timer Graffeo in North Beach and granddaddy-gone-mainstream Peet’s?

But the two brothers had a passion, a business plan and 12 years of experience in the coffee biz – both had worked for Blue Bottle (where Jerad was a roaster), and Justin had worked for Four Barrel, among other places. They were undaunted.

“Ultimately, this side of the coffee industry is very small,” says Justin, 27. “Even though San Francisco is a competitive market, there’s room for people to grow this aspect of coffee.”

“We’re all trying to elevate what coffee is,” adds Jerad, 32, “whether it’s in a restaurant or a coffee bar.”

To do that, the brothers focus on choosing quality beans and roasting the beans differently, in ways that bring out each variety’s unique characteristics.

The sibling entrepreneurs started selling their velvety smooth boutique coffee in August 2009 from a kiosk at the front of a 1924 warehouse on Seventh Street between Howard and Folsom, while their 1961 Probat roaster, imported from Germany, whirred nearby.

After almost two years of slowly building their business, their brand and their 7,000-square-foot interior space in that warehouse, they opened the industrial chic coffee bar in July.

Potent beans

Hipsters, office workers and suburban visitors line up to get their java jolt slowly dripped or espresso’d, paying $2.50 to $5.75 per cup or $14 to $20 for a 12-ounce bag of beans. Sightglass seems to have more of a kick than other coffee, which Jerad suggests may be because they avoid over-roasting, which can cause degradation and carbonization.

“With our style of roasting, it is likely that the caffeine stays more present compared to coffee that is roasted more aggressively,” he says.

The brothers – whose parents drank Folgers instant – grew up “all over” because their father was in the Navy. Jerad came to the Bay Area in 2004 from Seattle. Four years ago, Justin joined him from Eugene, Ore., as the idea for the coffee bar and roastery was percolating.

The concept for their sippery is more akin to a wine bar than a typical cafe. They deliberately don’t have Wi-Fi, to encourage people to interact rather than hunker down behind a computer screen.

And they don’t prepare food – “We want to stay coffee-centric,” says Jerad – but they do offer baked goods from Firebrand Artisan Breads in Oakland, and Piccino, a restaurant in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood, plus caramels from Hooker’s Sweet Treats in San Francisco, which also provides the bittersweet ganache in their mochas.

There is minimal seating, “so people will feel comfortable walking around to observe the roasting,” says Justin. On a recent visit, there were just eight stools downstairs, along the hand-hewn bay laurel counters facing the window onto Seventh Street and the counter facing the giant roaster, center stage.

An oval coffee bar with a poured-concrete surface surrounds the baristas, the Strada and Slayer espresso machines, and glass Chemex pots and Hario V60 pour-over drippers for individually prepared drip coffee.

‘Taste notes’

Each bag of beans has a gift-tag-like label that offers “taste notes” akin to those found on a wine label. The one for Owl’s Howl Espresso asserts that it “displays a deep, honey-like body, enveloped throughout with notes of ripe berry, juicy stone fruit, and sweet candied lemon.” The tag also lists the processing method as “Blended/Washed”; location as Latin America, Indonesia, East Africa; and growing altitude as “Varying.”

The beans and/or brewed coffee are available at Matching Half Cafe, Outerlands, Boxing Room, Contigo and Range (which uses Sightglass for its coffee-roasted pork shoulder), and Bi-Rite and Rainbow markets, all in San Francisco; at Boot and Shoe Service in Oakland; and at Bitter + Sweet in Cupertino and Bellano in Santa Clara. Nationally, locations include the Breslin, a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York’s Ace Hotel.

In October, the brothers went to Colombia on their first buying trip. Their aim is not just fair trade but direct trade: dealing directly with small growers.

“The learning curve is endless,” says Justin, “which keeps it interesting.”

Sightglass Coffee, 270 Seventh St. (near Howard Street), San Francisco; (415) 861-1313. sightglasscoffee.com. Open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. weekends.

Inside: RN74, Cielito Lindo and the Inside Scoop. E2, E3

Sunday: Farm-to-table Thanksgiving special issue. Food Wine

Regan McMahon is a writer in Oakland. E-mail comments to [email protected].

This article appeared on page E – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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